Yusef Salaam
Yusef Salaam | |
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| Member of the New York City Council from the 9th district | |
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Assumed office January 1, 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Kristin Richardson Jordan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1974 (age 49–50) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 10 |
| Education |
Dutchess Community College Hunter College |
Yusef Salaam (born 1974) is an American politician, motivational speaker, and activist, who is the member for New York City's 9th City Council district. A member of the Democratic Party, Salaam was one of the Central Park Five who were falsely accused and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in 1989.
Early life
Salaam was born in 1974 in New York City to Sharonne Salaam.
Central Park jogger case and conviction
On April 19, 1989, Trisha Meili, a woman jogging in Central Park, was assaulted and raped by Matias Reyes. Authorities accused Salaam, Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray and Raymond Santana of assaulting her; the five teenagers—of black and Latino race—became known as the "Central Park Five". At the time, Salaam was 15. The teenagers confessed to assaulting her, but later claimed the confessions were the result of beatings and threats by police officers. Salaam later claimed that police had deprived the teenagers of "food, drink or sleep" for more than a day. All five were convicted in 1990. His conviction was upheld by the Appellate Division, and was again upheld in 1993 by the Court of Appeals of the State of New York. He was released from prison in 1997. His conviction was vacated in 2002 and in 2014 New York City paid $41 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by the Central Park Five.
Career
Following his release in 1997, Salaam worked as a construction worker in an apartment complex in the Mitchell–Lama Housing Program on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. He was fired after the company discovered who he was. Salaam then worked at Weill Cornell Medicine. He has served on the board of the Innocence Project.
Political career
In 2021, Salaam considered running for the New York State Legislature, but decided against it due to residency requirements. Salaam moved back to New York City from Georgia in 2022. On February 4, 2023, Salaam announced his candidacy for the 9th City Council District of New York City in the 2023 elections. During the campaign, he was endorsed by Cornel West. He won the Democratic primaries on July 5, replacing outgoing councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan and defeating assemblymembers Inez Dickens and Al Taylor.
Personal life
Salaam is a practicing Muslim. He has ten children, three of whom are stepchildren. In 2016, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from then-president Barack Obama.
In film, Salaam is featured in documentarian Ken Burns's film The Central Park Five (2012). He is portrayed as an adult by Chris Chalk and as a child by Ethan Herisse in filmmaker Ava DuVernay's television miniseries When They See Us. In 2022, "Gate of the Exonerated" was dedicated at the northern end of Central Park in honor of Salaam and the other members of the Central Park Five.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Maximum round |
Maximum votes |
Share in maximum round |
Maximum votes First round votesTransfer votes |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Yusef Salaam | 3 | 6,993 | 63.8% |
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| Democratic | Inez Dickens | 3 | 3,962 | 36.2% |
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| Democratic | Al Taylor | 2 | 1,685 | 14.8% |
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| Democratic | Kristin Richardson Jordan (incumbent, withdrawn) | 2 | 1,108 | 9.7% |
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| Write-in | 1 | 121 | 1.1% |
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Selected works
- Salaam, Yusef (2021). Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice. New York City: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781538704981.
- Salaam, Yusef (October 12, 2016). "I'm one of the Central Park Five. Donald Trump won't leave me alone". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2023.